


Group Therapy

by Catbutts



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-20 21:28:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2443766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catbutts/pseuds/Catbutts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is a group therapist who has just opened up his own business. Despite his sometimes unprofessional methods, he has had a 100% success rate so far. His first day goes great, except for a certain raven haired man his old boss Erwin sends in, who makes it clear he doesn't want to be there. He won't even give Eren his name!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day On The Job

**Author's Note:**

> Ereri has taken over my life and after spending hours and days and weeks reading other peoples fics, I figured it was high time I wrote my own. This is gonna be a long one. I have so many ideas. Gaaaah.

July- First Friday 7:00 pm 

“I know it’s rather cliche, but how about we begin by going in a circle and giving our names and why we’re here. I’ll start.” The chocolate haired boy gave his patients a lopsided grin and flicked stray strands of hair away from his glowing teal eyes. “My name is Eren Jaeger. I’m here today as your group therapist and my goal is to do my best to help each and every one of you cope with whatever bad situation you’re in. I won’t pretend to personally understand every single thing you may be going through, but I promise that I will listen to every word you say in hopes that I can at least try.” The boy nodded his head to signal his finish. 

A group of five (including Eren) sat in a circle of chairs in the middle of the building that Eren has so cleverly (not) named Therenpy. Get it? It’s like therapy, but with Eren in it. Hence, Th(eren)py. Yeah, it was cheesy, but he had just opened up his own business and had plenty of time to change the name once he got a steady stream of patients. The room they sat in was cozy. Walking in, you could see a library style wall on the right that was filled to the brim with all kinds of works. Comics, manga, novels, short stories, collections of poems, vinyls, DVD’s, and even some VHS tapes were organized neatly into the shelves.

On the back wall there was a table with a record player directly underneath a curtained window. On the left wall there was a coffee bar. Eren wanted the place to look normal. He wanted his patients to feel comfortable. Admittedly, Eren was surprised he had even gotten approved to open his business. The way he handled patients was sometimes deemed unprofessional by others but the truth was that Eren had been in the top of his class. Despite his unusual techniques he had also had the least amount of patients who relapsed at his previous job. 

Eren turned to his right to see a blonde male with some stubble on his upper lip that was forming a mustache. The brown eyed blonde let out a huff before speaking. “My name is Hannes, and I’m here because I have an alcohol problem, or so I’ve been told.” The man stared at the ground as he spoke and lifted his head slightly to make eye contact with Eren before letting his gaze fall once more. 

“Good, that was great! And how about you miss?” Eren signaled to the brunette woman sitting next to Hannes. 

She was shoveling chips from her jacket pocket into her mouth, crumbs spilling onto her chin and she rushed to chew. She looked at Eren with ravenous eyes. “Mhf- My names Sasha, and I’m here because my friend Connie says I eat too much. I don’t get what’s wrong with loving food though!” the woman exclaimed earnestly. 

“You love food, huh? How much do you eat each day Sasha?” Eren shot the woman a curious smile, attempting to coax her into explaining the situation further. 

“Mhh! Well for breakfast I usually have a stack of pancakes with bacon and eggs and toast and a bowl of cereal with fruit and then I go to this place down in Trost where they serve jumbo breakfast burritos and-“

“Wow! That’s a lot Sasha! You must have an iron stomach!” Eren cut her off. She shook her head enthusiastically and Eren nodded his head to the next person in the circle. It was a tall muscular brunette, probably early twenties. He shuffled nervously in his seat, picking at dead skin around his fingers. His voice was barely audible and never once did he look up to face the small group. 

“Uhm, you can call me Bertl… I’m here.. ‘cause.. uh. I uhm- I have social anxiety so….” His voice faltered at the end and he hung his head so his hair covered his eyes. 

“It’s great to meet you Bertl!” Eren exclaimed. It was best to give reassurance that the boy did well, with this particular case. “I’ll let you in on a secret!” Eren leaned forward in his seat and noticed the boy peeking through his bangs, glancing at him. “I really, really hate speaking in front of crowds. I always get a stomach ache right before hand, but it gets easier.” Eren winked at the boy after he saw a faint smile plague the brunette’s lips. “Alright, and last but not least! How about you sir?”   
Eren glanced to his left to see a short raven haired man who hadn’t moved since he first stormed in and slammed down in his seat. He had an undercut and Eren found his teal eyes locked with empty silvers. The raven held a blank expression the whole time he spoke. His arms were crossed, and his feet dangled from the chair, only the tips of his toes able to reach the ground. Eren could see he was tense. His words dripped in annoyance. “I’m here because Erwin fucking Smith kidnapped me from my house and left me here, saying he’d be back in two hours. A name is pointless since I don’t plan on returning.” 

The man held Eren’s gaze with steel daggers, but Eren wasn’t affected in the slightest. He’d had patients come after him with kitchen knives, a grumpy little oompa loompa wasn’t going to faze him. Besides, Erwin was not only his previous boss, but a good friend, and had warned him about a new and rather difficult patient he was sending in. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to humor me and give me your name, regardless of if you return or not?” Eren let out a hopeful plea.

“Tch.” The man clicked his teeth together and spat his words. “Why the hell would I give a brat like you my name? I don’t need a fucking kid trying to babysit me, alright?” Eren shrugged his shoulders in defeat. He had other patients to attend to, and no matter how much he wanted to sit and try to break the man open, he had to remember that he wasn’t doing one on one’s anymore. 

“Okay, well, maybe by the end of the session you’ll change your mind.” Eren turned to address the group as a whole. “Alright, now I’m gonna be upfront with you guys, this is my first time doing group. I’ve had experience doing group as a partner with my previous boss, but I’ve never worked one by myself. I’m gonna ask you guys to give me a chance, but if after a few sessions you feel as though it’s not working out, I will totally understand. Just come talk to me and I can give you a list of personally recommended groups to go to. My methods are… well, they’re not textbook. So it’s not gonna work for everyone. But I believe in my ability to help each and every one of you!”

Eren leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. “So, let’s get this thing going! Today’s just a getting to know each other day, so feel free to talk about anything at all.” Bertl, Hannes, and Sasha all nodded but no one took the bait. Eren let out a chuckle. “Alright, I’ll start again. This past weekend my sister Mika visited. Now, I love Mikasa to death, but my god, she’s like an overprotective mother. She barged into my house, made a beeline for the kitchen, opened my fridge and scolded me for not filling it to the brim.” Eren shivered at the memory.

Sasha glanced up in interest and Eren smiled as he saw her speak up. “I always have food in my fridge! I love food!”

Eren smiled and let his Caribbean eyes soften. “I can tell you do, Sasha! Do you cook often?”

The girl nodded enthusiastically. “I do! Every night! I always bring extra food when I hang out with my friends in case they get hungry!”

“Really? Hey, maybe you could make something for group sometime?” Eren asked. She let out a quick squeal in approval and Eren noticed Bertl had lifted his gaze up to watch the brunette as he spoke. By the end of the session Eren wanted his group to feel comfortable enough to not only come back, but maybe start opening up about daily struggles. This is where Eren’s methods started to differ from others. It was Eren’s belief that in order for his patients to trust him, they had to know him. He didn’t want to be a cold, closed off therapist going through the motions, not caring about his patients. He wanted to be their friend. No, he was determined to be their friend. 

Eren took a deep breath before continuing. “Like I mentioned before, my methods are a bit… well, they're not standard. It’s my belief that it’s unfair to ask you to trust me if you know nothing about me. It may seem unprofessional, but honestly I couldn’t care less. I’m asking you to place your trust in me, and I wouldn’t feel right doing it if I were some impassive carbon copy therapist. So ask me anything you want, okay?” He let out a shy smile hoping that everyone would approve. Luckily, Hannes took the bait.

“What made you want to be a therapist? Why do you care about if some stranger like me drinks himself to a coma every night?” Hannes’ words were filled with pure curiosity.

“Well,” Eren answered honestly, “I know what’s it’s like to go through hell. I’ve been there more times than I’d like to count, and I’ve watched my friends go through it too. I know what it’s like to want to drive yourself off a cliff or drown in a bottle of whiskey and wish to never wake up. But I picked myself up for everyone around me and learned that it gets better. There will always be shit to go through. Nothing stays great forever, but just the same, nothing stays bad forever either.” Upon realizing he’d gone off into a rant he quickly concluded, “Anyways, to answer your question, everything I just said.. That’s why I care. Because I get it. That’s also why I wanted to be a therapist. I can’t just sit back and watch as innocent people suffer. I’m determined to help!” 

Satisfied with his answer, Eren stood up. “Anyone want coffee? I have a whole get up over there.” He pointed to the coffee bar. 

“Oooo! Me! Me! I do!” Sasha was the first to answer, pleading and waving a hand up in the air. 

“Sure, thanks.” Was Hannes reply. 

Eren eyed Bertl who gave a timid nod of his head. The last person left was the mystery raven. Upon turning around to face him, Eren found the man glaring at him intensely. Gray eyes bore into his soul, and Eren felt as though the man were dissecting him with his eyes. He seemed to take in every part of Eren, as if trying to figure him out. “Coffee?” Eren broke the silence.

The man clicked his tongue against his teeth. “You wouldn’t make it right.” The man uncrossed his arms for the first time to pick at some dirt underneath his fingernails. 

“That’s fine, you can make your own. Follow me.” Eren shrugged his shoulders before leaving the circle to make his way to the bar. After pouring each cup he asked how everyone took their drinks. Hannes took his black, Sasha took hers with cream and about a pound of sugar, while Bertl took his with just a tablespoon of sugar. Eren carried each cup over one at a time, and had to hold back an excited squeal when Bertl said a quiet thank you. As he brought the last cup to Sasha, he noticed that the mystery man was leaning over the counter of the bar, staring at everyone while sipping at his cup. He held it by the rim, a technique that Eren thought must be uncomfortable, but the man never spilled a drop.

Eren decided to leave him there because forcing him to sit and participate would only drive him away more. The man would have to decide to join on his own. Eren took a sip of his caramel laced coffee before speaking up again. “Does anyone else have anything they’d like to know about me? I know it may seem awkward… but the more questions you ask, the easier it’ll be as you get to know me.”

“What’s your favorite food?” Sasha sputtered out while leaning forward, coffee sloshing out of her cup. 

“Hmmmm. Oh! I know! Alright, so get this. Every year my friends and I get together to catch up and whatnot. We rotate who’s house we go to, but everyone brings their own signature dish and we have a huge feast before going out for the night. Now, everything there is amazing, but my best friend Armin makes this crème brûlée cheesecake with a strawberry sauce, and jesus tits it’s like heaven on earth.” Eren was too busy drooling over memories of Armin’s dessert to notice that the three people in the circle had stopped sipping their coffee to stare at him incredulously. A snort from the back of the room brought him back to the present.

“What?” Eren asked, brow furrowed in confusion. Why was everyone staring at him like he was an alien?

No one spoke at first, but Eren almost fell out of his chair when the mystery man spoke up. “Kid, I don’t think jesus tits is a proper medical term. You sure you’re actually a therapist?” The man quipped. 

Eren’s head shot backwards and he let out a roaring laugh. “Shit! It’s not? You guys better go home now then, cause apparently I’ve been doing this all wrong!” The boy was glad he played along because the reactions he got were precious. Sasha half spit, half choked on her coffee from laughing. Hannes gave Eren’s arm a gentle bump with his fist and flashed him a smile. Bertl let out a little huff of laughter, and gave him a slight grin. Eren even noticed that the raven haired man had a smirk painted on his face.

The rest of the session Eren continued to talk about himself and answered questions the group had along the way. His favorite color was green, he was twenty five years old, he loved cats but was a dog person, he graduated from Trost Academy, he had a doctoral degree in psychology. Everyone asked relatively normal questions and Eren was thankful that no one asked too much about his past or parents. That is until Eren said group was dismissed after one more question and a certain raven haired man spoke up. 

“Who did you get your eye color from? I can’t tell if they’re blue or green, brat.” The man narrowed his eyes at Eren.

Eren had to bite his tongue to keep calm before answering. “My father.” The words hung in the air for a moment and Eren felt a dark cloud hanging above him but the boy quickly slapped a smile back on his face. “Alright guys! Honestly today was great. I know it may not seem like much but it’s the first day and I really just wanted you to get to know me so next week you could all come back and we can start focusing on any struggles you may be encountering. I hope to see you all next week! Have a wonderful rest of the day!” Eren smiled and shook hands with Hannes, Sasha, and Bertl before the three took their leave. 

The mystery man stared Eren down the whole time and when it became apparent he   
wasn't moving from the coffee bar, Eren decided to go ahead and start cleaning up. He gathered everyone’s cups and made his way to the counter, next to the nameless shortie. He washed each cup in the sink thoroughly before drying them with a towel and placing them back into the cabinet below. When he finished he stacked all the chairs on top of each other. Just as he pushed them against the wall, Erwin Smith walked through the door, a brilliant smile planted on his sculpted face.

“Eren!” The blonde boomed. “It’s so good to see you” Erwin stepped towards Eren and pulled him into a tight embrace. 

“Erwin! Yeah, it’s been a while!” Eren mumbled into his chest. 

Erwin pulled back from the hug, moving his hands to Eren’s shoulders to get a good look at the boy. “How was your first day?”

“Ah, it was nerve wrecking and exciting and overall I think it went really well! Everyone seemed to be open to giving me a shot and honestly I’m just so happy.” The brunette sighed in content until he noticed steel eyes glaring at him. “Oh. Well, everyone except Mr. Grumpy over there. He wouldn’t even tell me his name Erwin!” Eren shamelessly pouted. It was after group so any professionalism he held while in session was immediately stripped away. Now he was just plain old Eren.

Erwin looked over Eren’s shoulder to eye the man, and let out a laugh upon sighting him. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when the black haired man strode over and spat out venomous words. “First off, fuck you Erwin. Fuck you. I can’t believe you fucking left me here after I specifically told you I didn’t want to do this shit. Second, I can’t believe that of all the people on this shitty planet, you picked this idiot kid as my therapist.” Then the man turned to Eren. “And third, I’m pretty sure calling a patient ‘Mr. Grumpy’ is frowned upon. Also, if you ever, and I mean ever call me that again, I will skin you alive, chop you into tiny pieces, and make you into a stew.” If eyes could shoot lasers, that’s exactly what the raven’s eyes would be doing as they shifted between glaring at Erwin and Eren.

Erwin let out a husky laugh and let go of Eren in favor of placing a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Alright alright! I admit I may have gone a bit far when I left you here, but we both know it was the only way to get you here and make sure you stayed.” Erwin smiled knowingly at the shorter man. 

“Whatever eyebrows.” The man quipped, jerking his shoulder to get Erwin’s hand off him. “Can we go now? I have shit to do.” The raven crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

“I guess that’s fair. I’ll go start the car. It was nice seeing you again, Eren.” Erwin ruffled the boys hair. “Give me a call and we’ll catch up over dinner sometime. I’m eager to hear about how you’ve been and how your business goes.” With that the blonde turned around and left, holding his hand up in a wave before walking out of sight. Eren was left standing with a man who’s name he didn’t even know.

The man took a step to leave and Eren sighed in defeat. Great, my first day and I already lost a patient. It really irked Eren that the man was giving up before even trying, and even more so that there was nothing he could do about it. Just as the raven reached the doorway he stopped abruptly before looking over his shoulder.

“Levi.” He said, before leaving with a curt nod. Eren felt his jaw drop, and stared at the empty doorway with wide eyes till he realized exactly what just happened. He ran out the door into the hallway to see the raven about to pull open the front door and exit the building. 

“Wait!” Eren yelped, running over to the man who eyed him with a bored expression on his face. “It’s nice to meet you Levi, I hope you’ll give me another chance next week. You don’t even have to talk. Hell, you can just come back for the coffee!” His teal eyes were gleaming in excitement.

Levi rolled his eyes at the boy before exiting the building. Eren would have lost all hope if it hadn’t been for a whisper that escaped the mans mouth as he left. Now Eren wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn he heard Levi mutter one simple word that made him break out in a hopeful smile. 

“Maybe.”

—————————

Levi hopped into the passenger seat of Erwin’s car and slammed the door shut. “I hate you.” He spat. Erwin chuckled next to him and pulled our of the parking lot.

“Good to know. Now, are you going to tell me how it went? And please, Levi. Be honest.” Erwin shot him a pleading glance before returning his full attention to the road.

Levi rested his head against the window before answering. He knew he could spout bullshit to Erwin, but he also knew that the man would see through him in an instant, so there was really no point. Plus if Levi had to call someone a friend, it would be Erwin. Well, Erwin or Hanji. But that was beside the point.

“It was.. unexpected.” Levi honestly replied. “The brat was so fucking eager and sincere. Are you sure he’s cut out for this shit Erwin?”

“When I first met Eren I had the exact same thought. He seemed so innocent. I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you this. Eren Jaeger is the strongest, most determined human being I have ever met. He’s been through a lot and even so, he is still willing to put himself through hell over and over again if it means doing his job and helping someone else.” Erwin reminisced. 

Levi let out a snort at Erwin’s last sentence. “Tch. The brat said almost the exact same thing.” The car fell silent as Erwin drove and Levi felt the need to address something that had been plaguing his mind ever since he asked Eren about his eyes. “Hey eyebrows, I got a question for you.”

“Yes, Levi?” Erwin snuck a curious glance at the man.

“What’s up with the kid and his dad? I asked about his eyes and I swear the room dropped twenty degrees when he said he got them from his father.” 

Erwin pulled in front of Levi’s apartment and switched the car into park. Levi watched as the mans eyes flickered with a darkness of their own. “I’m sorry Levi. I can’t answer that. The best I can do is tell you to get to know Eren and then ask him about it. But I’ll warn you in advance, it’s not an easy story. Even a heartless midget like you might find the situation unsettling.” Erwin added in a joke to ease out of the subject. 

Levi simply shrugged his shoulders. “Nice try eyebrows, but it’s not happening.” He hopped out of the car and flipped Erwin off before slamming the door and climbing the steps up to his apartment. Like hell I’ll be going back to ask the kid about shit. Erwin think’s he’s so fucking clever. Why would I want to go back? Sure the stupid emerald green eyed brat caught his attention, but he wasn’t that desperate. Or were his eyes turquoise? There was definitely both. Maybe just one more time… yeah. Just to make sure. Just to see what color they really were.


	2. It just had to be the Garrison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day two of group. Hannes shares about his job, Sasha goes into a sugar coma, Bertl starts coming out of his shell, and Levi is the same little shit he always is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long for me to put this out. I kept writing and then deleting the ending, trying to figure out how much I wanted to divulge as of now. But I wanna keep it vague and really build up to everything. Anyway, I might go back and add in a little Levi POV excerpt at the end like I did in chapter one, but I'm not sure yet. I just wanted to at least give you guys the bulk of it since you've been waiting for so long! Please let me know how you like it so far!!

July - Second Friday 6:30 pm

Eren took a deep breath. He had just finished setting up his work room. He had opted to get some bean bags for the group, figuring it would be a nice gesture. Plus Eren just really wanted an excuse to lounge while he worked. The rickety old chairs he had used at his first meeting had his ass hurting within the first fifteen minutes. 

Eren padded around the room, inspecting it. He had cleaned the place till it was spotless before bringing in the bean bags. He didn’t want to get them dirty the second he brought them in. So now four jade green bean bags lay in a circle on the floor. A special black bean bag was among the circle; Eren had gotten a black bean bag especially for Levi, in hopes that he would come back. Black seemed like it would suit the angry little man. Eren shuffled over to the coffee bar, putting a pot of coffee on. He had memorized how everyone took their coffee and wanted to have the drinks ready when everyone arrived to show that he was paying attention to every little detail. 

At 6:50 Hannes arrived and Eren quickly shot him a smile and gave him a firm handshake before ushering him to one of the green seats and fixing his drink for him. The blonde man thanked Eren and clumsily made himself comfortable in his seat. Sasha bounded in minutes later and nearly knocked Eren into the ground. Apparently she hadn’t forgotten Eren’s invitation to make a snack for group because she gripped three trays of brownies in her arms. The girl reluctantly handed the trays to Eren who insisted they waited till everyone arrived to begin eating. Sasha grabbed a brownie in retaliation but ultimately allowed Eren to take the trays over to the coffee bar for safe keeping.

At 6:57 Bertl poked his head through the door and blushed when Eren waltzed over, grabbing his wrist, and pulling him over to the new seats urging him to try his out. The next three minutes dragged by endlessly, and when seven o’clock came around Eren felt his heart drop. Levi wasn’t coming. He didn’t know why he felt so disappointed but his stomach felt sick and he had to take a moment to compose himself.

He took the time to get a good look at everyone. Sasha was wearing dark blue skinny jeans with brown boots. She wore a tan crop top that had a hamburger on the front, and Eren let out a cheeky grin at the sight. Hannes was wearing tan slacks with a light blue button up and brown loafers. Bertl was dressed in light blue jeans with some Vans and a black tee-shirt. Eren wondered momentarily if the boy purposely dressed down as to not attract attention to himself. 

Eren was glad he was able to afford the wardrobe he had. That’s not to say he didn’t enjoy lounging around in jeans and an old tee-shirt, but when at work or going out Eren always made sure to be presentable. At the moment he was wearing tan jeans and a light green button up. He wore chocolate colored ankle boots that Armin had given him as a gift for opening his business. Since he was operating as his own boss now Eren could get away with jeans, but had he still been working for Erwin he wouldn't be caught wearing anything other than slacks. 

“Well guys, I’m glad you all came back!” Another pang in his stomach. “Well, almost everyone. Sasha brought brownies, so I’d like you all to thank her and then feel free to grab what you like! Oh, by the way, Sasha and Bertl?” He eyed the two. “Your coffee’s are ready and on the bar. Sasha’s is the one on the left.” Sasha practically leapt out of her seat grabbing a brownie and shoving it into her mouth before grabbing two more along with her coffee and settling back down. Bertl grabbed his coffee and a brownie, while Hannes respectfully declined the pastry. Eren made an expresso for himself and grabbed one of the chocolate sweets. Just as he sat down he heard a click by the doorway..

“Tch. I see you’ve all gotten comfortable without me.” Eren’s eyes peeled open and his lips turned upward into a grin. Levi stood in the doorway, and for a moment Eren was dumbstruck. For the first time he took a good look at the man in front of him. Levi’s lean legs were covered by black jeans that Eren doubted could get any tighter. A gray button up draped over his shoulders, and Eren could see the muscles in his arms ripple as he peeled off a black leather jacket. Levi tapped the heel of his black ankle boot in irritation as the boy eyed him up and down. Eren shook his head back to reality.

“You came?!” Eren set his cup down clumsily and bounded up to the raven. “I didn’t think you were coming..” He whispered to the man. 

Levi rolled his eyes. “Obviously I came. You can see me here, can’t you? Or is it common for you to see things that aren’t there?” Levi raised an eyebrow in question. 

“N-no!” Eren sputtered and internally cursed the man for reducing him to a stuttering mess. “You’re late.” He pouted. “There’s brownies on the bar from Sasha. You can make your coffee and join us. Your’s is the black bean bag, cause you’re so grumpy. I thought it’d match perfectly.” Eren muttered the last two statements childishly before stomping back to his seat. Levi scoffed and made his way over to the bar, grabbing his cup and fixing a himself a cup of black coffee. 

Eren took a breath before speaking. “So guys! Anything interesting happen in the week you were away?” He eyed the room. Sasha was too busy stuffing brownies into her mouth, desperately trying to lick up every crumb that fell onto her shirt. Bertl hid behind his cup of coffee, sipping slowly, looking everywhere but at Eren. When Eren’s pleading eyes met Hannes, the man sighed in defeat. 

“Well, my co-workers asked me out for drinks after work Monday night.” The blonde started. 

“And did you accept?” Eren bit the inside of his cheek.

“Yeah. I did.” He averted his gaze in shame. “I told myself I’d only have a couple beers but that turned into about a dozen.” Eren gave him an apologetic smile and eyed his other patients. Sasha was sprawled out across the bean bag, barely conscious due to the fact that she had consumed about 75% of the brownies on her own. Bertl was listening intently, nodding at everything the two said.

“I see. Where do you work Hannes?” Eren watched as Levi walked around to the front of the coffee bar, only to take a towel and wipe it down before hauling himself up onto it to sit. His legs dangled off the edge and Eren thought he looked similar to a child when he swung his legs back and forth. He held his coffee along the rim with his fingertips and blew on the steaming liquid before taking a tentative sip.

Hannes looked a bit confused but answered anyway. “Uh, well, I work as a detective.. in the Garrison unit of the police department.”

Eren’s eyes opened wide. “Wow. Y-you do?” He felt a lump in his throat. “What exactly do you specialize in?” Eren had to push away all his thoughts till he was a blank slate. He wondered if the universe really did hate him? Then again, if Hannes had worked on that case, surely he would have said something. After all, Eren’s last name was very recognizable as it wasn’t very common. No one except Levi noticed the boy tense up as he spoke.

“I work in homicide, but recently there haven’t been any cases. We’re stuck working cold cases that have no hope of being solved. It’s been so long that any overlooked evidence is surely gone by now. There’s just no point.” He shrugged his shoulders casually.

Eren felt his blood boil and fought to remain calm and collected. He narrowed his eyes. “Have you considered that maybe that’s the underlying cause of why drink so often? Because you wish to escape the feeling that there’s no point to what you’re doing?”

Hannes looked at Eren like a deer in headlights till something seemed to click and his expression darkened. He didn’t answer and Eren decided to let him be, more for his own sake than for Hannes’. Old memories were starting to surface and he didn’t want to talk or think about the Garrison for the rest of his life. Eren nodded absentmindedly and found his Caribbean eyes locked with gray blue eyes. He felt himself squirm under the other man’s gaze. He was watching intently, brows slightly furrowed as though he were trying to answer a question in his mind. 

“Anyone else want to share? I know being the first one to talk is nerve-wrecking but no one has to worry about that now. By the way, thank you for sharing Hannes. I’m glad you trusted everyone enough to speak about everything.” Hannes raised a hand to the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Ah, no problem..” 

“Uh, I have-” Bertl was cut off by a loud grumbling noise. Eren didn’t know whether to be more shocked that Bertl was ready to speak up so soon, or by the fact that the dinosaur noise that just sounded came from Sasha’s stomach. Apparently she just needed a good five minute rest because the second her stomach sounded she jumped up with a manic grin and eyed the remaining tray of brownies with animalistic eyes. She leapt over to the bar and Eren chuckled as he watched Levi scoot as far away from the ravaging woman as possible. She knocked over the empty trays in an attempt to grab the full one for herself. Levi crinkled his nose at her and Eren smiled as he told her not to worry about the mess. He’d get it later. When she took her seat again Eren giggled and turned back to Bertl who was hiding after being interrupted.

“Hey Bertl! Sorry about that outburst!” Eren let out a chuckle. “Did something happen last week?” Sasha sank in her seat a bit, just now realizing that her little escapade had interrupted the already anxious boy.

The boy nodded. “Uhm, well a few friends came to visit. Annie and Reiner. We went out to a club in Trost. We all danced.”

“That’s great! How was it? Was it called The 104th? I’ve been there with Mikasa and Armin. My sister and best friend. Actually we go there every last Saturday on the month to hangout.”

“Yeah, the 104th. It was..fun. Really crowded.” Eren could tell Bertl was struggling to keep up the conversation. Surely his nerves were taking over.

“Did you happen to meet a rather snarky, extremely intimidating bartender? Her name’s Ymir. She works with this cute blonde girl Krista.” Eren probed, hoping that Ymir had been working so he could work on communicating with the painfully anxious boy in front of him. 

“Ahh..was she tan, with freckles? She served our drinks. She hung onto the blonde girl a lot..” He seemed to ease up a bit and Eren smiled.

“Yup! That’s Ymir! Listen, if you ever go back, do not accept any favors from her! She’s a great friend, but the girl is wicked. She only does favors to get something in return.” Eren shuddered as he remembered a particularly annoying memory. 

Levi must have noticed because for the first time he cleared his throat and spoke up. “Tch. You look like you’re constipated brat. Either you have to take a massive dump or you have something to share. So, which is it?”

Eren glared at the raven. How the fuck did he seem to read Eren so easily? He sighed in defeat. “I guess I have to tell all of you now..” He groaned and leaned forward in his seat, hiding his face in his hands. “Alright. Well the first time I went to The 104th I was with Mikasa and Armin. Thanks to Armin’s constant pestering for me to study, I had finished University a year early, and we wanted to celebrate. We found the place by chance and long story short, by the end of the night I was wasted.” 

Eren grimaced at the memory. Mikasa had warned him not to go overboard but that only prompted him to drink more. “Anyways, we were all dancing, but I decided to dip early and head back to the bar to wait for them. Ymir kept the shots coming, and I graciously accepted. I passed out in the chair I was in, the top half of my body sprawled onto the bar counter. Ymir carried me to the back and found Mika and Armin to take me home. We thanked her and all was well.”

The boy smiled as everyone listened intently, eyes glued to him. “The next time we went in, Ymir informed me that I owed her for taking care of me, so instead of spending time with Mika and Armin I ended up working Ymir’s shift the entire night while she and Krista (who was off) danced with my friends.” 

Eren waved his hand as Hannes, Sasha, and Berlt let out quiet giggles. “Yeah, that’s not the worst part. If you’ve ever noticed, the bartenders all have a uniform to wear. The guys wear black slacks with a white button up and the girls wear black skirts with tights and a white button up, but its like tied in the front, so its like a half shirt?” 

“Like a crop top!” Sasha chimed. 

“Yeah, exactly! Well, since I had to take over the shift, I had to be in dress code. Ymir shoved some clothes my way and told me to change. She said it was the only thing they had so I’d have to deal with it. I shrugged at first but when I went to back room to change I realized that she had given me the girls uniform. I had to wear it for six hours.” Eren felt his cheeks fill with blood as he recalled the incident. 

Sasha rolled out of her bean bag laughing and Bertl coughed into his hand to muffle his amusement. Hannes let out a deep rumbling laugh and patted Eren on the shoulder as consolation. Levi’s eyes remained icy and but Eren swore he saw them widen for a split second. He shook his head and sighed.

“Alright guys, now that you’ve thoroughly embarrassed me, how about we continue? Levi, Sasha, you two are the last left. Do you have anything to share?”

Levi game him a look that said ‘are you kidding me?’ so Eren looked over to Sasha as she crawled back into her bean bag. She got comfortable before yelling out a reply.

“Well, I hung out with Connie most of the week. We went rock climbing one day and then went to Maria’s to eat. It’s my favorite restaurant. I can make all their dishes!” She exclaimed with pride.

“Really? Are you a chef there?” Eren asked.

A look of confusion plastered its face onto Sasha. “No, I’m not. But I totally could be!” She grinned so wide Eren thought it must hurt.

“Oh! Well, you love food so much, and you said you can make all their dishes. I just thought it made sense you would be a chef, y’know? You should look into it, Sasha. I’m sure you’d be amazing.” She nodded her head furiously, a newfound look of determination painting her features. 

Begrudgingly, Eren turned his attention back to the raven who was glaring at him, obviously anticipating Eren’s next move. “Have anything to share, Levi?” Eren’s eyes were pleading. 

“Not particularly, brat.” Levi watched the group with his usual guarded eyes. 

“Right.” Eren sighed. “Well, honestly I didn’t do much either. As you saw when you first got here I got new seats for everyone. Mika and Armin called to see how my first session went, and asked to sit in on one. I told them that unless they actually signed up they couldn’t be here while we were in session, but if it’s alright with you guys maybe they can stop by after 9 one Friday so you guys can meet them. Only if you all agree though. Don’t feel pressured to say yes.”

Everyone gave their approval with nods and quiet words of agreement. “Alright. Well I’ll have them come down on our last session of the month, since I usually meet with them that weekend anyway.” He thought a moment before continuing. “Hey, if you guys want you can bring someone too. I think it’d be a good idea. You can tell a lot about a person by their friends, so you can get to know me more and vice versa.”

“Can I bring Connie!?” Sasha belted.

“Heh, you sure can, Sasha!” Eren answered.

The girl held a fist up and yelled “Yahooo!” in triumph. 

Bertl lifted his gaze to Eren and for the first time spoke in a clear, confident voice. “I’ll ask Annie and Reiner if they can come up.”

“Sounds great! I’m looking forward to meeting them.” Eren said, pleased with the result of his suggestion. “So since we’re already two sessions in, starting next week I’m going to start assigning you guys little challenges to do in between meetings. Then each consecutive Friday we can talk about how they go. The purpose is to push you out of your comfort zones slowly, and also to work on self control.” Every gave Eren determined nods and the boy was glad that everyone was so receptive to his ideas. “And guys, while starting out I don't want you to lose hope. In the beginning everything is new and you’re bound to shy away sometimes. I just want you to keep trying and know that sometimes you won’t be able to go through with a task first try. That’s perfectly okay, as long as you keep trying. I’ll be here to talk and help you along the way!”

Eren felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He had set an alarm so he knew when the session was over. “Well guys, we’re out of time now! I’ll see you all next week. It was great seeing you all, and I’m really glad that you guys felt comfortable enough to share some of your week with the group and I!” 

Just like last week, everyone except Levi said their goodbyes to Eren and exited the building. Hannes was the first to leave. Sasha grabbed the empty trays from the ground and bounded out of the building, while Bertl stayed back a few minutes to help Eren sweep up crumbs that littered the floor. After a shy wave, Eren was left alone with Levi yet again. Eren was glad he had showed up but was feeling let down again as the man still had yet to participate even a little bit. What’s the point in showing up if he isn’t going to open up?

Levi was still seated on the bar counter and as Eren walked next to him to deposit all the dirty coffee mugs he felt his head being yanked up. Levi had grabbed Eren by the chin and moved his face up to lock eyes. Eren’s heart nearly exploded out of his chest and he swallowed nervously. Their eyes were locked together, and Levi’s steel gray eyes were scrutinizing Eren’s blue orbs. 

Levi’s eyes narrowed and he nodded once before yanking his hand away from Eren’s chin and wiping it off on his pants. “Green with specks of blue.” He murmured. Much to Eren’s annoyance the statement was too low for him to hear, and Levi just clicked his tongue in irritation instead of answering when Eren questioned what he had said. 

“Whatever.” Eren rolled his eyes. He cautiously walked away from Levi, grabbing a mop from a supply closet outside the room in the hallway. When he returned to mop down the floors after the mess Sasha left he found that Levi was no longer sitting on the counter. Did he leave? How did I not see him walk past me? Eren eyed the whole room but couldn't see the man anywhere. He shrugged and walked over to the bar to mop down the floor there. He heard shuffling coming from the middle of the room and turned around to see Levi curled up in the black bean bag. He sat in the middle with his knees brought up to his chin, and Eren thought he looked like a small child.

He had to stifle a chuckle, and quickly turned his gaze back to the floor he was cleaning. He took his time on the wood floor, wanting everything to be spotless. Eren used to be a slob but after certain circumstances his skin would crawl at even the slightest hint of filth. Eren shrugged the thoughts away and rung the mop out in a bucket before putting the supplies back in their rightful places. After a satisfied huff the emerald eyed boy made his way next to Levi and slunk into his green bean bag. His muscles ached and Eren just now realized how tired he really was. The boy had agonized over who would return for a second session, and now under the gaze of steel eyes he became aware of the fact that he had worried over Levi almost exclusively. 

Why am I so worried about some cranky little midget who doesn’t even want to be helped? Eren wondered briefly if it was because Levi’s reluctance to get help reminded Eren of his former self. His thoughts were erased when said midget cleared his throat and spoke up. 

“Erwin’s gonna give me so much shit when he finds out I came back.” Levi had a look of disgust planted on his face as he spoke. Eren immediately forgot about his worries and let out a gentle laugh. 

“So why did you come back? I actually thought you weren’t going to show up cause you were late and all…” Eren’s voice trailed off nervously. 

“Tch. I wasn’t late. I was just avoiding coming in.” Levi retorted. Eren’s brows furrowed in confusion. Levi rolled his eyes and continued. “I was trying to talk myself into leaving.”

“What, why?!” Eren yelped. 

Levi scoffed. “I don’t need help. I especially don’t need help from some brat who doesn’t know shit about the world.” Levi brought his knees down from his chest and let his feet hit the floor. He stood up and trailed his hands down his button up and jeans, wiping off imaginary specks of dust. He stood to take his leave, completely ignoring the look of sheer anger on Eren’s face. Before Levi stepped out the door he was left with bitter words from the brat that seemed to haunt him relentlessly the rest of the night. 

“You know, I used to be like you. I wanted to shoulder everything on my own. I didn’t want to bring anyone else down by asking for help. But that was foolish thinking, Levi. And for the record, you have no idea what I’ve been through so don’t pretend like I haven’t had a hard life.” Levi whipped his head around to face the boy and froze when he was met with a tender smile.

“Bye Levi, I hope to see you next week! Seven o’clock sharp, alright?” With that Eren ushered the man out and closed the door the second the raven exited the group’s room. Eren cursed himself for letting the man’s words get to him so easily. Why couldn’t he keep himself grounded? He had always been hot headed, but he had learned to control it. None of his previous patients had been able to get a rise out of him no matter how many times they insulted or attempted to discredit Eren. So why did one stupid sentence from one stupid shrimp upset him so much? At least he had been able to maintain a smile.

Eren slumped back against the door and let himself fall into a sitting position. Levi had no idea what he knew about the world. He knew loss and betrayal. Most of all he knew fear. Images of his father swam into the boys mind and he slammed his head back against the door to shift his focus to the pain. These were things he didn’t need to dwell on anymore. He hadn’t seen his father in years. Everything was alright now. He was safe. Eren would never have to feel that kind of despair ever again… Right?


	3. I'll make you a deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ike's Place - For those who don't know, this is an actual sandwich shop in San Francisco, CA. I had the pleasure of going there with my best friend AND HOLY CRAP it was the BEST sandwich i have EVER had in my life. 700/10 would recommend.
> 
> *Stage - I know there's another term for it??? But I could only find the European version. It basically means to work a shift in the kitchen one night so they can see how well you do.
> 
> Also, thanks so much for being patient with me you guys! I never knew how draining babysitting a four year old could be until now. Im sorry if in the end Eren and Levi seem a little OOC. It's late (early?) and I'm pretty sure that I'm writing nonsense in between naps at this point.

July - 3rd Friday 6:55pm

 

Eren was booming. He had arrived a half an hour early to his group to make sure everything was spotless. He didn't know why, but he felt like today was going to be a good day. Maybe it was because not ten minutes after he arrived, a grumpy little raven entered the room and silently began his coffee making ritual.  _Early. Levi had come here early._  Eren had followed in suit, preparing the rest of the groups coffee before making his own, and as the rest of his patients poured in, he handed them a cup before allowing them to take their seat. Levi hauled himself up onto the counter as per usual, and made himself comfortable. By 6:55 everyone had arrived and Eren decided to start early. If he didn't speak soon he was going to go crazy. He was already bouncing his legs uncontrollably in his bean bag. And the coffee wasn't helping his situation.

"Good evening everyone!" Eren gleamed. "How was your week?"

Following in the previous sessions footsteps, Hannes was the one who spoke first. The man leaned forward in his seat, eyes darting between Eren and the floor. "It was better..." Wait, was that all he was going to say? Eren scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion and Hannes let out a sigh. "Ah, I'm not really good at this is all.. but.. thanks Eren. I owe you one. I thought a lot about what you said, and it made me realize that if I worked under the impression that what I was doing was pointless, that's exactly how it would turn out. Anyways, I decided to look over the testimonies from the cold cases I'm working and I found a discrepancy in one. It's not much, but it's enough to get some questions rolling." Hannes averted his gaze and Eren wasn't exactly sure, but it almost seemed like Hannes was...embarrassed?

"That's great news! I'm so glad to hear that! I hope everything works out for you!" Eren could barely contain himself. This felt like his first real victory. "Okay, how about you Sasha? Eat any great food while you were away?" Eren shot the girl a playful wink. 

"Of course! Connie took me to this shop called *Ike's Place and we had the best sub sandwiches ever!! I had three!!" By now the woman was drooling and Eren cringed until the woman brought herself back to reality and wiped away the trail of saliva from her chin. "OH! I also told Connie what you said about Maria's! He told me he was going to talk to the chef about having me *stage for a night! Since Connie goes there so much he knows most of the staff by name!" The woman bounced up and down in her seat. "I'm going to practice every night till then!" A determined pout fell onto her face and Eren let out a chuckle.

"Wow, you guys are just shooting good news at me left and right! This is so great! I'm really excited for you all." A warm smile crept onto Eren's face and he turned towards Bertl hoping for some equally exciting news. "Alright Bertl! What's up?" Eren bit his lip in anticipation. 

The shy brunette brushed chocolate locks out of his face and brought his gaze to Eren. "Well.. uhm. I don't have such exiting news.. But I asked Annie and Reiner to come down next Friday, and they said they'd love too." Bertl let out a soft smile.

"Awesome! I'm really looking forward to meeting them! Hey, Sasha? Did you ask Connie about stopping by next Friday after group?" 

The girl spoke up instantly. "Yes!! I told him I was bringing him with me but he had to wait till after to talk to everyone! He can wait in the front lobby right?!" Eren choked on the sip of coffee he had just taken. It seemed as though Sasha didn't so much as ask Connie to come as she did demand him to. 

"That's perfectly fine Sasha. If you get here early enough he can come in here for a little and I'll make him some coffee to have while he waits outside, okay?" The girl nodded enthusiastically and Eren let out a breathy chuckle. Now was the time where Eren was supposed to ask Levi if anything interesting happened in the week he was away, but Eren already knew what his answer would be. 'Why would I tell a shitty brat like you how my week was?' or 'Why would I tell a kid what happened during my week?' The man wouldn't say a word if Eren asked, so he wouldn't. He decided to keep moving forward and wait to see what would happen. "Okie dokie guys! Now, if you remember last week's session, I mentioned I'd be giving you challenges for the upcoming week. Well I-"

A rather intentional throat clearing from the back of the room caught Eren's attention. Eren dipped his head down for the slightest of moments to hide a knowing smile. "Yes, Levi? Is there something I can help you with?" Eren's eyes gleamed playfully as he brought his gaze up to greet Levi's narrowed steel daggers. The man set his cup down before hopping off the counter and making his way round to the group circle. Eren felt his heart racing with excitement as the raven made his way next to Eren and plopped down in the ebony bean bag. 

"Oi, you forget about me or something, brat? If I'm interrupting your little tea party feel free to let me know. I'll be happy to take my leave." Levi crossed his legs showing no intention of leaving whatsoever. 

"Not at all, Levi. I could never forget about you." Eren shot him a loving smile in attempt to rile him up. It had taken him a while to notice, but it seemed the only time Levi spoke up was when he was poking fun at someone-well, him. Maybe if Eren played along it would help to open the raven up. So far it seemed Eren's assumption was correct. While the rest of the group let out giggles of laughter, seemingly lost in their own little worlds, Eren noticed the tiniest of pink creep onto Levi's cheeks.  _Huh, what's that all about?_ Eren quickly forgot his curiosity as the raven spoke with a scowl planted on his face.

"Don't get any ideas, kid." The raven trailed off before a mischievous gleam painted his eyes and left Eren squirming in his seat. "So, Eren." The raven leaned close and purred his name so only the green eyed boy could hear. Just as quickly he leaned back and raised his voice to an audible level. "Are you going to ask me about my shitty week or not, brat?" 

Eren swallowed nervously. There was something about the way the raven said his name that made him shiver. He pinched his wrist to bring back his composure. One sloppy grin later and he was back on track. "Alrighty then. How was your week, Levi? Anything interesting happen in your time away?"

"Mhh, well, it seems that somehow Erwin Smith found out about your little get together next Friday and has insisted he will accompany me here. I've been wondering all week how on earth he could have found out about such a thing." The raven raised an eyebrow at Eren. "Got any ideas how such a thing came to be?"

Eren kept a straight face. "Indeed. How strange. I'm sorry Levi, I have no idea. Well, either way, I'm glad to hear that you'll have someone here for you. Have anything else to share?" Eren would never admit to it, but he had, in fact, informed Erwin about the whole thing.

Levi's gaze darkened and his eyes bore invisible holes into Eren's. "Well, you see brat. I've decided that maybe this little party will be worth my while. And you know what they say right, the more the merrier? So I'm going to invite another friend. Her name is Hanji, or as I like to call her - shitty glasses. I think you two will have a lot to talk about. She does numerous experiments that she'd love to share about." 

Eren felt his skin crawl with unease, but it seemed he was the only one who noticed the dark aura radiating off of Levi. To everyone else this was a normal conversation. "Oh really? What kind of experiments?" he asked cautiously. Eren realized he made a mistake the second the words left his mouth, because Levi's lips curled into a maniacal smile for the slightest of seconds before returning to his normal expressionless demeanor. 

"Oh, I'll be sure to tell her you asked." With that Levi leaned back into his seat and Eren realized that the conversation between the two of them was over. He didn't know what to make of the situation but figured that the middle of group was not the time to stress over it. He had to continue on.

"Right, well I'm glad you've decided to bring some friends and I'm definitely looking forward to meeting them. Now, like I was saying before - Challenges. Since they're going to be our first ones they're going to be relatively simple to complete. More than anything else, this is a test of willpower. It will be up to you to take the initiative to complete your first challenge. This test is not only to prove to me that you want to overcome these obstacles in your life, but also to prove to yourself that you want to!" Eren shifted in his seat to face Hannes on his right.

"Hannes, you ready to hear your task?" Eren smiled with anticipation. He had high hopes for his group. He knew that if they all had the courage to make it through this first trial, they would all succeed in the upcoming ones. The first step was always the most difficult. Hannes let out a deep breath before nodding his head. The man seemed nervous, but driven. Eren had high hopes that Hannes would be able to complete the task that Eren had come up with. "Okay, the task itself is simple. But having the will to complete it is the real challenge. First off, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot." Hannes replied.

"Roughly how many times a week do your co-workers ask you out to drink?" Eren inquired.

"Well, it depends on the work load, but recently.. maybe three or four times a week?" Hannes' eyes reflected his confusion.

"Perfect! Here's your challenge! One time next week when you're asked to go out drinking, I want you to decline. Just once. That's all I ask. Is that okay?"

Hannes eyes widened for a second. "That's it?"

"Yup! That's it. Painless enough, right?" Eren gleamed.

"Yeah.. Sure! I can do that Eren." Hannes nodded to himself this time, seemingly pleased with the simple request. 

Eren moved to the next person in the circle. "Great! Now, Sasha? You ready?"

The girl jumped out of her seat instantly. "I'M READY!"

Eren let out a hearty laugh. "Great! Now, you're going to need Connie for this okay? I'm sure he'll agree. Now Sasha, I'm assuming when you eat together, Connie eats considerably less than you, correct?"

Sasha's eyes widened in fear as she seemed to sense where this was going. "Yes..... he barely eats enough to feed a rat!!" 

"Okay, well for one meal next week, I want you to order the exact same thing as Connie. Nothing more, nothing less. And you can't go eat more after. You have to wait till the next meal time, okay? Can you do that for me Sasha? I know it's a lot to ask.."

The girl crumpled back into her bean bag with a look of sheer horror plastered on her face, but agreed nonetheless. "Okay.... if I'm with Connie I think I can do it.." She rolled onto her side and hid her face, groaning into the seat. 

"That's wonderful Sasha! I'm really proud of you for agreeing to this! I know it must be scary but I believe in you! I know you can do it!" Eren gave her the warmest smile he could as she peeked up at him and it seemed to calm her down. She settled back into her seat normally and as each new second passed by, Eren noticed the look of determination on her face growing endlessly. 

Eren turned his gaze to Bertl who was waiting patiently. He could see the boy biting his lip and Eren realized how nerve wrecking this must be for him. "Bertl, I'll make this quick. All I want you to do is greet someone while you're out sometime next week. Whether it's a stranger you pass on the street, someone waiting at a bus stop next to you, a grocery clerk, whoever - I just ask that you say good morning, good evening - something to them. Maybe ask how their day is going, or compliment their shirt. Anything will do."

Bertl seemed to think the whole thing over before giving in and whispering a timid "okay" accompanied by an unsure smile. Eren was thankful that he even got him to agree to the assignment so all in all Eren would call it a win. Now came the tricky part - Levi.  Eren had come up with a challenge for the man on the off case he returned. Sure enough Levi was here and Eren could only imagine the reaction he was about to get out of the raven. 

"And now Levi, you ready to hear your challenge?" Eren fought back a laugh as he watched the man practically bristle. Eren decided not to wait for an answer and continued on before Levi had the chance to decline. "By next week I want you to write down three facts about yourself. You'll share them in the beginning of group. Two of them can be anything, but at least one of them has to be something of importance about yourself. Whether it's about your family, your experiences - as long as it's something you wouldn't ordinarily share, I'll accept it." 

Just as he finished, Eren felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he let out a sigh before quickly rattling off a good bye to delay Levi's inevitable retaliation. "Well it looks like our time is up guys! I'll see you all next week! And I hope to meet your friends too! Take care, alright?" Eren trotted over to the door and nodded at everyone as they took their leave. Of course, as usual, Levi stayed behind. 

Eren closed the door behind the last person to leave and turned to face Levi, preparing himself for the worst. The man stood directly behind him, and despite his short stature, he still managed to make Eren feel like he was only three feet tall. 

"I sincerely hope you aren't idiotic enough to think I'm actually going to do that shit. There's no way in hell I'm going to be sharing anything about myself next week. Or ever, for that matter." Levi quipped. 

Eren thought over the dozens of reasons he could give Levi about the benefit of accepting the challenge. He could go about it the scientific way, because Levi seemed like he would be more swayed by facts than opinion. 'By analyzing his patients behavior during their sessions Eren could exert his knowledge in each corresponding psychological value. This was how he was able to accurately calculate each persons strengths and weaknesses, thus lending him a hand in creating the perfect paced challenge list for each individual.' No way. Levi would get bored in an instant and cut him off. 

Okay, maybe opinions  _would_ work? Eren could be pretty persuasive if he put his mind to it. 'Levi, I really think you would feel a lot better if you opened up! Erwin must have brought you here for a reason, and I'm sure he only has your best interests in mind. Plus everyone else is actively participating and it's not fair that they're trusting you with their struggles but you won't trust them. I don't want anyone to start feeling uncomfortable.' Nope. Nah. No, that wouldn't work at all. Eren could just hear Levi now - 'And why would I care about what some shitty kid thinks?' and 'Erwin doesn't know shit.' or 'Do you think I actually give a fuck?' Yeah... not gonna work either.

For a very brief moment, Eren thought about telling Levi the truth he was trying extremely hard to deny- 'Do it for me, because I want to know more about you.' Levi was turning out to be some damn mystery that Eren couldn't get enough of. He was so standoffish that it drove Eren nuts, and he felt like no matter what, he had to achieve some sort of victory with the man. At this point he was starting to get desperate. So Eren did what he does best. He resorted to using the most childish of behavioral bargaining chips. To get what he wanted, Eren would make Levi feel as though he himself had the upper hand. Eren would bend the situation to make it seem as though Levi came out on top. 

"Fine. How about this. I'll make you a deal. For every fact you give, you can ask me a question about myself, of equal value, and I will answer it no matter what. If you can't think of a question I'll simply tell you a fact about myself of equal value. You can give whatever facts you want during group next week. Make a list of favorites if that's all you want to do. The rest of the facts can come to me after group when we're alone and we'll work using the system I just suggested. How about it, Levi?" Eren pursed his lips into the slightest of pouts and waited for another refusal. However Levi seemed to falter for a moment, eyes flickering back and forth as though he were fighting with himself over what to do. Finally he looked up with a seemingly terrifying fire of resolve in his eyes. Yup, he was screwed. Eren knew right away he had made mistake. Levi knew something, and now it was too late. 

Levi tattooed a smirk on his face, giving a short and simple reply. "You got yourself a deal, brat." With that the man clicked his tongue to his teeth and stepped around Eren to open the door and take his leave. Eren couldn't even find the will to move, let alone run after Levi and try to protest. Besides, if he took it back now he would only look like a coward. Nope - Eren would have to ride this one out. 

"Fuck," the boy spoke to himself. "What in the hell did I get myself into? Why did I do that?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Levi tossed around in his bed. He glanced up at the clock on his nightstand to read the time. 2:47am. He felt uneasy and conflicted. At the time accepting the brats offer seemed like a great idea. All Levi had to do was spout some bullshit about his life that Eren would deem 'important' and in return Levi could ask the little shit anything. He could ask about why Eren didn't like talking about his dad and why the hell he had been so freaked out when Hannes had mentioned the Garrison.

But on his way home Levi came to a harsh awakening.  Why the hell was he thinking so much about this shitty kid? Sure, he was curious. Who wouldn't be? Hell, the way the brat paints on his emotions, you'd have to be blind not to notice and wonder about a few things. But Levi had never given two shits about getting to know anyone before, so why the hell was he starting now?

It was all the brats fault. Ever since Levi saw those stupid Caribbean eyes, he had been hooked. It was also Erwin fucking Smith's fault for dragging him there in the first place. If it wasn't for Erwin Smith, Levi wouldn't be laying in bed at three in the morning, unable to sleep - unable to think about anything besides those stupid blue-green eyes he felt he could drown in. 


End file.
